Jordan cautions public as mosques reopen amid COVID-19 outbreak

Awqaf Minister Mohammad Khalaileh stressed the importance of disinfection of all mosques before and after use. (File/Reuters)
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Updated 01 June 2020
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Jordan cautions public as mosques reopen amid COVID-19 outbreak

  • The circular outlined a number of precautions required as soon as mosques reopen on Friday

DUBAI: Jordan’s Awqaf Ministry has urged local authorities to follow health precautions as mosques reopen, state news agency Petra reported.

The circular outlined a number of precautions required as soon as mosques reopen on Friday – including sanitation procedures, physical distancing rules, and mandatory protective gear for worshippers.

Awqaf Minister Mohammad Khalaileh stressed the importance of disinfection of all mosques before and after use. He said signs must be placed to ensure appropriate distance between worshippers.

He said both mosque personnel and worshippers should wear face masks and gloves and avoid physical contact with people through shaking hands and other customary actions.

Worshippers should bring their own prayer mats, the minister said, adding mosques should not turn on air conditioners and fans and keep doors and windows open during a service.


Israeli fire kills three in Gaza, as US seeks to advance Gaza deal

Updated 37 min 49 sec ago
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Israeli fire kills three in Gaza, as US seeks to advance Gaza deal

  • Talks were held on Saturday

CAIRO: Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, while an Israeli drone wounded four others in Gaza City, local health authorities said on Sunday.

Medics said Israeli fire killed at least two people east of Tuffah neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, while a 41-year-old man was killed by Israeli forces in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.

Earlier medical workers said an Israeli ‌drone exploded ‌on the rooftop of a multi-floor building in ‌Gaza ⁠City, ​wounding four civilians ‌in the street nearby.

There was no comment by the Israeli military on any of the incidents.

US ENVOYS MEET WITH ISRAEL PM NETANYAHU

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Israel on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, Witkoff said on Sunday.

“The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of ⁠continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region,” Witkoff said in a post on X.

Gaza ‌has been reduced to rubble in the ‍war that was triggered by an attack ‍by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel on October ‍7, 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

The Gaza health ministry says more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since then. It also says that at least 480 people have been killed ​by Israeli fire since a ceasefire agreement came into effect last October.

BOTH SIDES TRADE BLAME FOR VIOLATIONS

Israel has said four soldiers ⁠had been killed by militants in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Both sides have traded blame for violations of the truce.

Earlier this month, Washington said the plan had moved into a second phase, in which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza, and Hamas is due to yield control of the territory’s administration.

Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, more than 100 people attended the funeral of a person killed by Israeli drone fire on Saturday, after holding special prayers in front of his white-shrouded body at the morgue in Nasser Hospital.

“They are liars, there is no ceasefire,” said Fares Erheimat, a relative ‌of the dead man, during the funeral.